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Thursday, December 5, 2013

Mercato Mission - Italian with a Difference

Bruschetta

When looking for places to dine in Calgary, my pal and classmate @bluebirdsy suggested Mercato, as she and her husband dine there often and enjoy the food. Mercato has two locations in Calgary, one in the Mission district, while the other is further afield in the Westside of Calgary. She noted however that the menus in the two locations do differ slightly.

Bruschetta

We started with the bruschetta, with grilled Pugliese style bread, with three different toppings. The first was a white bean topping, which was different than anything else I’d ever had, but was hearty, mild tasting, and a nice change from the typical tomato with the large white beans topping the crispy bread. The second was a roasted red pepper with arugula, which was incredibly creamy, while the last was the typical tomato, which was lightly spiced and juicy.

Pappardelle with braised wild board shoulder

The male human opted to try the pappardelle with braised wild boar shoulder with shallots, baby spinach and an egg yolk. The boar was tender while the sauce had a mild kick to it. The female human ordered the risotto made with riso vialone nano with homemade fennel sausage, zucchini and roast cipollini. The risotto was incredibly creamy, bathed in olive oil, while the sausage added some much needed saltiness to the dish.

Risotto with fennel sausage, zucchini and roast cipollini

Mercato did not disappoint and offered some well conceptualized and put together Italian dishes that were slightly different than the usual fare we’ve come to expect in many other Italian restaurants we have dined in. I would definitely recommend Mercato to anyone looking for something other than the usual Italian fare in Calgary.